Today I Choose to Believe...

Today I choose to believe. To believe in God's word, in his plan and to confidently know that God is who he says he is.
The word believe gets thrown out there a lot in culture. As children we can believe in Santa, we are told to believe in the magic of Christmas time and believe in the magic of Disneyland. But what does it really mean to believe in God? Do our lives reflect what we claim to know and believe?
I have called myself a follower and believer of Christ since I was a young child. I had the blessing of growing up in a Christian home where God's truth was taught and applied. It wasn't until Jr. High that I really started to understand and desire to have a intimate, real relationship with God. And it was in Jr. High that I was challenged to live out my faith on a daily basis. I attended a Christian school in Jr. High and we had weekly chapels that we attended. Most of the time they were OK and I am sure that I didn't get as much out of them as I should have because I was probably distracted by my friends, but there was one chapel that made a lasting impact on my life. The point of the entire message was, "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it must be a duck." The pastor even wore a Donald Duck hat to get his point across. He challenged us that if we called ourselves Christians then our walk, our talk and our lives needed to reflect our relationship with Christ. I will never forget that analogy and ever so often it comes back into my mind. If I walk like a believer, talk like a believer, then I must be a believer.
In Deuteronomy 27:9-10 Israel is given some instructions, "Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, 'Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees I give you today.'" Are we living out God's commands in our lives? Do our actions reflect his character? Are we living out what we claim to believe? Psalm 18:30 describes God's character and what we believe, "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Only God can save and protect us. He has a perfect plan and his word is flawless! No one else is like that!
Believing in God is only the first step. We have to have a personal relationship with him that is constantly growing. And that relationship should transform our lives, change how we live and show others that we are followers of Christ. We are given the best gift, salvation for all who believe. "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-24) We have all fallen short, but we are offered redemption. Let's live our lives like we are saved, because we are!
So today I choose to believe and to have my words, my thoughts and my actions reflect what I believe.